What is with A.G. Russel?

Is it really something to "vouch" about the service when you are paying a healthy premium for it? It doesnt seem like something to brag about to me. Hell at his prices its like you are buying a built in warranty. I don't hear anyone bragging about how good the warranty service on their vehicle was. Now if AG had prices that were competitive and still offered excellent service then that would be something worth noting.
 
flipe8 said:
I've had pretty good luck dealing with A.G. Russel in the past, eventhough their prices are a bit high. I felt a bit let down when I asked if they'd extend their Front Line discount to Canadians( and other nations involved in the War, for that matter) and I was told "No". Since then, I've given my business to other less pricey merchants.
I like some of their exclusives, though.
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Any one in the military of any country with troops in Afghanistan or Iraq can have the same discount as we offer the Troops of this country. That cover it?
 
tvranesic said:
Some folks don't mind paying a bit more to deal with a reputable dealer and do business with a quality inividual. If you've ever had a problem with anything you bought from A.G. Russell, you'd quickly understand why many do business with A.G.
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+2:thumbup:
 
I like AG's catalogs. I get to see knives I never heard about. AG also has some exclusive stuff that you can't find anywhere else. I don't mind paying if it is an exclusive, or if it is something I can't fined elsewhere. The guarantee is great also. One time I had to send something back, and the replacement arrived within days.

I know others do that too, but if something goes wrong 5 years from now, AG will replace or refund. Who else in the world will do that?
 
+1 on original/hard to find stuff.I like that Eagle Beak I seen in last months catalog.Also I got the Spyfox(smaller version of Spyderco's Volpe) from there & could find it no where else.
 
severedthumbs said:
Is it really something to "vouch" about the service when you are paying a healthy premium for it? It doesnt seem like something to brag about to me. Hell at his prices its like you are buying a built in warranty. I don't hear anyone bragging about how good the warranty service on their vehicle was. Now if AG had prices that were competitive and still offered excellent service then that would be something worth noting.
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You pay more for an extended warranty on most all products where one is pruchased, right? Well, A.G. Russell's warranty is essentially the ultimate in extension as you, the customer, gets to decide what it covers and for how long it is covered. That alone is worth the premium to some people. And others like shopping Russells for the hard to finds, the discontinueds, the Russell's marked knives- every one of which that I've seen exhibits great quality at a reasonable price, btw-, the exclusives, etc. Some people even just like to shop there because of all that Mr. Russell has done in his time in the knife industry. Loyalty deserves loyalty and all of that.

I'm not sure why this seems hard to understand for some people or why some in this thread seem to feel that they somehow have the right to set a merchant's prices. If you don't like it, don't buy. Pretty simple.



JTR357 said:
+1 on original/hard to find stuff.I like that Eagle Beak I seen in last months catalog.Also I got the Spyfox(smaller version of Spyderco's Volpe) from there & could find it no where else.
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I intend to post a review of the Eagle's Beak over in Trad. one of these days. There are a few nits to pick (when aren't there) if you're looking but overall I am extraordinarily impressed with the quality of the knife.

And add another reason to order from A.G. Russell's. I never would have considered purchasing a chinese made knife were it not backed by the reputation and name of a person like Mr. Russell. I'm glad I did though because he has designed a great working knife at an even better value, imo.
 
AG Russell puts out the BEST catalog, bar none!! I have no problem buying from this place because I know I will get what I order, and he has some of nicest exclusives around. As a matter of fact I have an order in for KNIVES 2009 and the new Hawkbill folder!:thumbup:
 
I have not yet purchased from A.G. Russell but I think the company provides a nice service to the knife community. They commission original designs like the woodswalker and their VG10 kitchen knives, they market quality knives from a variety of reputable manufactures. They have a very large selection of non-typical knives from makers and/or companies that you don't normally see elsewhere.

Also great kudos to their wonderful website. I think what A.G. Russell does in their descriptions of their knife offerings is totally unique and has a lot of personal touch. Many on-line dealers just sort of rip out the text from the manufacture and paste it up, often making mistakes in the process. A.G.'s site always has a little tailored message at the front end of the description of how they came across the maker or their experience with the makers line etc. I think they put an incredible amount of work to describe why a given product is unique and what their main attributes are. This takes work and effort, and some of us really appreciate the effort they put into it. Unique features like being able search knives by application make the site even more functional. Also take the encyclopedia compendium of knives that they are producing - again evidence that bottom line is not the only concern of A.G. Russell.

As Derrek mentioned from KSF above (and good on him for chiming in in a positive way as he also runs a very respectable business and contributes here to the forums often) there is a lot more to the quality and character of a dealer then the prices on offer.

As I said at the top, I haven't yet purchased from A.G. but I think of their company as one of the good guys and will very likely do so in the future.
 
roughedges said:
You pay more for an extended warranty on most all products where one is pruchased, right? .
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Yeah but do you go home bragging about how awesome the dealership is afterward.


"D00d you have to buy your car it Jimmy Joes Lexus, if anything ever happens to your car they will fix it! Sure I had to pay an extra $4500 for it but hey I dont mind paying that little extra because they offer awesome service."

Seems silly to me.
 
severedthumbs said:
"D00d you have to buy your car it Jimmy Joes Lexus, if anything ever happens to your car they will fix it! Sure I had to pay an extra $4500 for it but hey I dont mind paying that little extra because they offer awesome service."

Seems silly to me.
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No one in this thread is writing entirely one sided rave reviews such as your example above. Nor are they typing using infantile spelling like "D00d". Is your intent here to critisize Russell's, exhibit what you think of your fellow posters in this thread or something else entirely?

I ask because, with your latest post, I think you are doing nothing but ineptly trying to stir the pot.
 
Maybe it's because AG doesn't try to sell every tactical folder in every line. I just see a few from Spyderco there. He has loads of nice knives you won't see anyplace else and in some nice handle material. Lots of customs and exclusives. Doesn't seem like they are a bottom line razor thin profit for every tactical knife made, but rather they carry a few so if you want them there they are. (I would suppose it's a customer demand sort of thing too) I remember my Dad getting their catalog years ago to find hard to get Case knives and there wasn't anything tactical in them. All that stuff has been added on through the years.
 
akadave2 said:
Do these people not check other prices on the net? They are a good 20% higher or more on most of their knives than any other place. How do they stay in business?
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Dave,

I will now have to put staff to comparing prices of all of the commodity knives on the web site. I think that maybe your estimate of "20% or more on most" may be a slight bit over the mark.

When we price an item, we have in the past checked the price with two or three of the leading net dealers and then we put our prices a dollar or two above there, based on our belief that our service and guarantee should be worth that small amount. I am not interested in being the low price leader, I leave that to SMKW and to the kids who try to work on tiny margins, not understanding until too late what that leads to.

When an item is both on the site and in the catalog you can expect the price to be high, the POSTAGE and paper are expensive, last year we got hit with a 33% increase in the cost of mailing catalogs, if you have not bought in the last couple of years you will not get another.

We promise to do our best to be at least as low as we have been and better if we can.
 
severedthumbs said:
Yeah but do you go home bragging about how awesome the dealership is afterward.


"D00d you have to buy your car it Jimmy Joes Lexus, if anything ever happens to your car they will fix it! Sure I had to pay an extra $4500 for it but hey I dont mind paying that little extra because they offer awesome service."

Seems silly to me.
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:rolleyes:So don't buy there smartguy!Leaves more for me:thumbup:

The catalogs alone are worth the extra money IMO.
 
roughedges said:
No one in this thread is writing entirely one sided rave reviews such as your example above. Nor are they typing using infantile spelling like "D00d". Is your intent here to critisize Russell's, exhibit what you think of your fellow posters in this thread or something else entirely?

I ask because, with your latest post, I think you are doing nothing but ineptly trying to stir the pot.
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none of the above. Just saying it makes no sense to justify marked up prices on the fact of good service. Good service should not cost you more. When it does cost you more you are buying what is in essence an extended warranty. So I think it is an invalid defense many are trying to make to justify the price mark up.
 
If AG has it, I'll buy it from him. In general his shipping is less, his warranty is better, his website is first class, he still sends out catalogs (which has to be an enormous expense) and he is a knifenut. I don't mind at all paying a premium, when it gives me peace of mind in knowing I won't be unhappy, about a purchase I've made from him.

He's earned my loyalty and he has it.
 
Peregrin said:
If AG has it, I'll buy it from him. In general his shipping is less, his warranty is better, his website is first class, he still sends out catalogs (which has to be an enormous expense) and he is a knifenut. I don't mind at all paying a premium, when it gives me peace of mind in knowing I won't be unhappy, about a purchase I've made from him.

He's earned my loyalty and he has it.
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God bless you all, you have made my day.
 
Why does every yahoo think that every company in the world has to do business exactly so as to cater to his particular needs? There are lots of knife people and they all have different wants. And there are different companies that cater to those wants.

I suppose that if I were buying some off-the-shelf model, I might not choose AG first. But not everyone buys off-the-shelf models. AG Russel carries knives that no one else does. Premium knives at a reasonable price for what that knife is.

If AG Russell's business model does not suit you, do not buy from them. But don't rip on a company that provides service to a market that does not include you. AG Russel has been a household name in the knife community for longer than a lot of you have been alive. They obviously have a market niche.
 
As I type this, I have before me, a small bottle (less than 2 oz) of "Rust Free". A completely unique product, available only from A.G., AFAIK.

I have tried a huge array of rust inhibitors and this has proved itself the best and most convenient for situations requiring portability and repeated application. My bottle has been in use for years and is still over half full.

I only wish A.G. would offer it in bottles 1/4 the size.
 
severedthumbs said:
none of the above. Just saying it makes no sense to justify marked up prices on the fact of good service. Good service should not cost you more. When it does cost you more you are buying what is in essence an extended warranty. So I think it is an invalid defense many are trying to make to justify the price mark up.
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Warranty is only one so-called "defense" and one that you have singled out to the exclusion of all others offered, by myself and others, in this thread. I can't figure out why that might be unless it is as I've stated already in this thread.
 
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